1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to an image forming device and an image forming method.
2. Description of Related Art
In image forming devices such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, or a multifunction device that combines the functions of the above-described devices, and the like, in order to improve user convenience or increase added value, implementation of multiple functions has progressed.
For example, most recent image forming devices have a booklet printing function in which a print sheet as a recording medium, on which an image is formed is saved, and reading can be conveniently performed by properly forming a double-sided printed material and the like.
Here, the booklet printing function is a function for generating a booklet that is similar to a book, and, more particularly, a function in which the page layout is automatically calculated by sorting pages to be printed, and data is printed on both faces of print sheets in an aggregated manner.
In a device in which a finisher capable of saddle stitching or center binding is mounted among image forming devices having the booklet printing function, a printed material that has been printed using the booklet printing function of the image forming device is output in a state of being stapled with a stapler, and the printed material is further output in a state of being folded at the center.
Even in a case where the above-described booklet printing function is not used, the generation of a booklet can be performed by a user sorting pages or calculating the page layout in a manual manner.
However, in a case where the booklet is manually formed, complicated page proportions are necessary, and it is necessary for a user to perform an extremely complicated operation.
Accordingly, a booklet printing function in which a booklet can easily be generated is an extremely remarkable function.
In the near further, it is considered that demand for printing electronic books as booklets and reading the booklets will increase in accordance with widespread use of electronic books.
Therefore, the booklet printing function is considered as a function that will play a more important role than it has done previously.
With respect to the booklet printing function, a technique for generating a booklet in which, in a case where there are both left and right pages, an image of both the left and right pages is divided at the center and is assigned to the left and right pages, and the divided images are compensated such that a bent portion between the left and right pages does not become a blank space is known.
In addition, a technique for generating a booklet in which a closing side and the page order are determined in accordance with the direction of a document to be printed and the content of the document (a distinction between vertical writing and horizontal writing) is known.
In a case where a booklet is generated using the above-described booklet printing function, the outermost face and the innermost face need to be handled in a special manner.
The reason for this is that, unlike the other faces, the two pages of both the left and right faces are continuously displayed, and accordingly, a corresponding image does not need to be divided and displayed as two pages.
Here, the outermost face represents a face that is the cover sheet and the back cover sheet of the booklet, and the innermost face represents a face that is stapled to the innermost side of the booklet (more specifically, in a case where the booklet is stapled with a stapler, a face at which the needles of the stapler are stopped).
Accordingly, on the outermost face and the innermost face, a space of an inner margin (a portion that is stapled so as to be combined) is unnecessary, and can be used for page division of a layout in which two pages are connected.
However, according to a general technique, basically, all the pages are handled in the same manner, and accordingly, it is impossible to perform page division of the layout of a booklet by connecting two pages for the outermost face and the innermost face only, unlike the description presented above.
Accordingly, generally, for example, even in a case where a user generates an innermost face having the layout in which two pages are connected, the whole innermost face is printed at a reduced scale (for example, A4 size paper (corresponding to two sheets of A5 size paper) is printed on one page having A5 size paper at a reduced scale) such that the whole inner face enters one page, and there is a problem in that the booklet printing function feature cannot be utilized.
The present disclosure is in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an image forming device and an image forming method capable of printing the outermost face and the innermost face of a booklet in a layout that can be configured more freely than that according to a general technique.